Ripples in Time: Investigation
by ShivaVixen
Summary: Ripples in Time verse, Gift fic for AccessBlade, set between Chapters 11 and 12 of Ripples in Time. After the Avalanche attack on the Corel Reactor, there are a few questions still needing answers, Genesis, along with the Turk Shotgun, starts his investigation.


**Gift fic for AccessBlade. AccessBlade was the only one who noticed that I actually used some info from TV Tropes page for Crisis Core in the fic Opening Up. (The part where Genesis mentions having a shot every time Angeal mentions honor would make him tipsy everyday? TV tropes actually suggests that (jokingly) as a drinking game if you're playing Crisis Core, then goes to say one would be tipsy by the time you reached the 2****nd**** chapter. I found it hilarious, so I put it in.)**

**The request was to have Shotgun and Genesis star in a fic together. Hopefully, it was worth the wait.**

**This takes place in between chapters 11 and 12. Basically, it's Genesis and Shotgun checking out how Avalanche got into the Corel Reactor.**

With Strife stable under Prof. Rayleigh's care, and Wallace being returned to Corel for local medical attention, Commander Genesis Rhapsodos turned his full focus on figuring out how Avalanche got into the reactor in the first place.

"Corel's only had a couple visitors, so they must've come from the far side of the ravine." The Turk Shotgun noted as she studied the map with Genesis.

"Looks like the weak point was this area- unless a soldier could fly, they wouldn't be able to get close." Genesis frowned. "'_Ripples form on the water's surface_' . . . I want to check this area out."

"Sir?"

"There should have been an alarm or some sort of safeguard." Genesis pulled out his PHS. "Tuesti should have the blueprints and schematics . . ." He didn't have long to wait for the necessary files to reach his phone, along with a message from Tuesti requesting to be kept informed. "I'm going to check it out."

"I'll come with you." Shotgun followed. "I'm going to need more details for my report." She'd need to go to make a full report, anyway. Doing so now would save having Veld or Tseng tell her to go back and check it out on her own.

"If you fall behind, I won't wait up."

"Understood sir." With the lower levels still somewhat filled with mako, they headed outside.

It was a long hike, and Shotgun, despite her patience that came from her being a huntress, found the silence somewhat grating.

"With the spillways open, some of the mako is bound to have gotten out . . . Hopefully, the monsters haven't gotten into it yet." Shotgun noted, breaking the silence. Professor Rayleigh had been very concerned about that, especially since some of the mako had been partially processed.

"I'm not too worried about that." Genesis studied the area in front of them. "Looks like some people have come through here."

"At least ten." Shotgun studied the tracks. "Which fits, the troopers on the outside were attacked about the same time we were attacked on the inside."

"You're a tracker?"

"Hunter, actually."

"Can you track them back the way they came?"

"That's not too difficult, they weren't covering their tracks all that well." Genesis allowed her to take the lead, though he could follow the tracks just as well.

"You enjoy hunting, then?" This time, it was Genesis breaking the silence.

"Yes, drove my mother crazy, because I spent so much time out with our family's gamekeeper and not with my art tutor." Shotgun looked up and gave him a wry smile. "I think she had a stroke when I told her I was joining the Turks. Probably would have disowned me if father hadn't stepped in and calmed her down."

"I know the feeling . . . though in my case I spent too much time with Angeal growing up or reading fantasy books instead of the textbooks they wanted me to read." Genesis mused. "They were relieved when I went into Soldier, though."

"This is the split off point." Shotgun noted. "Keep following back to the camp, or should we check out the other path?"

"We'll check out the other path on our way back." Genesis decided, and Shotgun nodded. The two continued their small talk.

At some point, the conversation got on the topic of _Loveless_.

"Mother read me the poem, but I never could get into the play." Shotgun shrugged. "There are too many questions."

"What do you mean?"

"If the three of them were such good friends, why did the Wanderer run away after the Prisoner got captured? The Hero isn't much of a hero, either, because he doesn't even try to rescue his friend, or get the Wanderer to help rescue. And at the end, why the heck does the Wanderer decide that killing his friend is the best way for redemption- it would have made more sense if they went back to the Hero."

"War's not exactly something that everyone can deal with . . . the poem doesn't go into detail about their split, but we can assume that the Wanderer was just someone that wasn't ready for war. He might not have been heroic, but that makes him much more real. As for the Hero not going after the Prisoner- he probably did, but prisoners of war are usually well guarded and hidden where the opposing army can't find and rescue them. The Hero couldn't just abandon all the men he was with to go after his friend. As for the ending . . . people change, they weren't together for a long time, they weren't the same people that made the oath." Genesis shrugged as they moved forward. "That's what makes it a great story, it's more realistic."

"I guess so." The campsite they came to had ashes in the center. "Looks like they had some chocobos here." Shotgun moved over to the side, looking at the tethers that remained, then promptly took a couple steps back.

"Something wrong?"

"Something attacked the chocobos and ate them."

"How do you know?"

"There's blood and feathers." Shotgun moved forward again, this time to take pictures.

"Second fire over here." The two quietly catalogued the campsite, before turning back to check out the second trail.

There was one monster encounter on the way down the second trail. It was fairly brief, though, and the only real problem they had was apparently the schematics and blueprints weren't entirely accurate.

"The entryway is under there, isn't it." Shotgun stared at the large pool of mako that hadn't gone into the ravine thanks to a safety wall and some well place scaffolding meant to give builders and troopers easier access to this side of the reactor.

Unfortunately, it had also given Avalanche a way in.

"Yes. It seems they were aware of the safety concern and were trying to fix it." Genesis smirked a little at the irony that the attempt to fix the security issues ended up making it even easier to get to. He hoped Lazard would let him fry whoever in the Safety Department was in charge of this mistake.

"Well, no one's getting in that way now."

"Yes, but the damage is already done . . . It will take weeks to clean up the mako and get the lower levels back into working condition, as well as repair whatever else Avalanche damaged." Genesis scowled, mind drifting to the only Soldier out of three that survived.

"There's still the Avalanche member the people of Corel arrested."

"We'll question him next, then." Genesis turned to head back up.

"We?" Shotgun blinked.

"Isn't this going to have to go into your report as well?" Genesis looked at her.

"Yes sir, it is. Lead the way, Commander."

**Hmm, any requests for what you'd like to read? I've got a one shot about matchmaking Yuffie in the works. After that, though, I'm going to be busy on the sequel.**


End file.
